Here is a little collage I knocked up over the weekend. I love old movie posters almost as much as I like Propaganda Art, and I thought the colours worked really well.
Category: Art
Leith Hill Tower
Yesterday we walked up to Leith Hill, situated to the south west of Dorking in Surrey. The hill reaches 294 meters (965 ft) above sea level and is the highest point. The books say that it was on the summit of Leith Hill in 851, that Æthelwulf of Wessex, father of Alfred the Great, defeated the Danes who were heading for Winchester, having sacked Canterbury and London. It seems a bit unlikely that two big armies would choose a pointy little hill to fight on but what do I know?
On the summit of Leith Hill is an 18th century Gothic tower, with panoramic views northwards to London and the English Channel to the south. Richard Hull of nearby Leith Hill Place (once home to the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams) built “Prospect House” in 1766, later to become known as Leith Hill Tower, with the intention of raising the hill above 1,000 ft (305 m) above sea level.
The tower is 19.5 meters (64 ft) high and consisted of two rooms “neatly furnished”, with a Latin inscription above the door announcing that it had been built for not only his own pleasure, but also for the enjoyment of others. Hull provided visitors with prospect glasses, similar to a small telescope, through which to survey the extensive views towards London and the English Channel, each some 25 miles away, and thirteen counties on a very clear day.
When he died in 1772, at his request he was buried under the tower, however, following his death, the building was stripped of its contents, doors and windows, and fell into ruin. As a result the tower was filled with rubble and concrete, and the entrance bricked up. In 1864, Mr Evelyn of nearby Wotton House decided to reopen it, but the concrete made this difficult, and so the additional turreted side-tower was added to allow access to the top of the tower.
The tower was fully restored by the National Trust in 1984. This restoration included the removal of rubble and concrete, fitting safety features such as a handrail along the narrow staircase and converting the lower portion of the tower into a national trust shop. Leith Hill Tower is open to the public, with a comprehensive display explaining the history of the tower and giving opinions and memories of local people. Unfortunately it closes at 1700 and we were too late so we didn’t manage to ascend the 180 odd steps and instead went to a charming pub in Ockham at the bottom of the hill.
Stanley in Wood
We walked up to Leith Hill Tower today – the highest part of South East England. We took loads of pictures including this one of Stanley peeping through some public art:
Tramp Stamps
Now, I like a tramp stamp as much as the next guy – ie: not much at all. But does god really want his wisdom written next to your ass?
I don’t think so at all…
The Ground Zero Mosque debate
I think Ron Paul nails it here:
“The justification to ban the mosque is no more rational than banning a soccer field in the same place because all the suicide bombers loved to play soccer.”
I am not religious but I do like religious buildings and some of the Mosques I saw in Iran and Iraq are awesome. So Mosque-builders build me a Mosque just make it as pretty as you can. The mosque below was in Yazd, Iran.
Fluffy Photobomber
I was taking some pictures of Stanley this afternoon when the fluffy photobomber appeared hogging the frame!
Tony Blair
I have always liked Tony Blair. His key skill is probably his likeability. I am about half way through Anthony Seldon’s Blair – US link
Now Tony Blair sure footedness seems to have eluded him. The recent furor over his donation of the profits from his upcoming autobiography to the Royal British Legion has been criticized and now his remarks of the role of tourism is peace promotion as related to Conde Nast:
“If you stand on Mount Nebo — on the Jordan River, where Moses is said to have looked out over the Promised Land — you can see right across the Jordan Valley, across the Palestinian territory. Around dusk, you see the lights of Jerusalem in the distance. There is a small bit of land, but it’s extraordinarily rich in history. There are probably more sites of antiquity here than in any other part of the world, and many of them are completely undeveloped. “The single thing that most people say to me when they come to Palestine is that they’re surprised to find it so safe. If they haven’t been before, they think they’re entering a conflict zone, and of course they’re not. There is a dispute going on in Gaza, but you can travel around the West Bank without any difficulty at all. I have no hesitation going anywhere.”
And now for Blair’s food recommendations?
“Olives from Nablus, Salfit or Jeninn and grapes from Hebron.”
Sorry Tony I really don’t think this strategy is going to work…
Artisanal Pencil Sharpening
I really love this idea. David Rees wants to sharpen you a pencil. Slowly. Attentively. And with a carefully selected sharpener or blade that suits the pencil best. If there are movements for slow food and slow reading, why not for slow writing implements?
“With an electric pencil sharpener, a pencil is meat,” Rees said. “It’s this thoughtless, Brutalist aesthetic. For me, it’s almost a point of pride that I would be slower than an electric pencil sharpener.”
This is how his artisanal pencil sharpening works: You might send him your favorite pencil, but Rees more often selects and sharpens a classic No. 2 pencil for his clients, he promises, “carefully and lovingly.” He slides the finished pencil’s very sharp tip into a specially-sized segment of plastic tubing, then puts the whole pencil in a larger, firmer tube that looks like it belongs in a science experiment. Throw it at a wall, he says, and it won’t break. The cost? $15.
I have been trying to think of something similar-ish that I could start over here. I can’t think of anything much good, just these:
- Hand written love letters from foreign countries – I know a lot of people from odd places it would be easy to provide a faked up romance
Micro-mosaic portraits – could easily be done from a photograph so could be done cheaply and easily may be less than £2,000 for less than A4 size?
Money portraits of people’s second wives – how better to represent your gorgeous trophy wife than a collage made from money?
None of these ideas are quite right just yet…
Drug dealer guns
Apparently there is a museum in Mexico devoted to displaying the somewhat blinged-up artillery preferred by the Mexican drug gangs. Since it first opened it has expanded to ten rooms in order to hold an increasingly vulgar array of ill-gotten gains reflecting the curious ‘narco bling’ fascination among gangsters. Among the items is a diamond encrusted mobile phone and a solid gold medal bearing the crest of one of the drug gangs.
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf
Do you like cakes, pies, brownies, bars, cookies and muffins? If you do not, then to use a phrase pioneered by my beautiful wife: “You are like a mad!” This cookbook takes us from London’s leading bakery to your own kitchen. Never has baking been so delightfully sweet and stylish. Peaches and cream cupcakes, rocky road bars and blueberry pie – how can you resist? Buy the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook – US link
I used to visit the Hummingbird Bakery frequently. Some may say too frequently. It is much beloved by London’s beautiful people and expat Americans and now the book means you don’t have to brave the Circle Line to get your fix. It also means that through the power of ingredient substitution you can cook medicinal marijuana to make beautiful pain-suppressing little cakes. The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook – US link
The author Tarek Malouf opened the first Hummingbird Bakery in London’s fashionable Notting Hill district in 2004. This cookbook allows you to step inside this unique bakery and bring its trademark butter cream swirls, sprinkles, and layer-cake slices into your own kitchen. The Hummingbird’s Cupcakes fly off the shelves faster than any other cake. Who can resist an adorable Vanilla Cupcake topped with candy-colored butter cream frosting and scattered with sprinkles? The book takes cakes to the next level with some mouthwatering recipes. Red Velvet and Carrot are both favorites at the Bakery, and the Hummingbird Cake is a sweet, sticky triumph of banana and pineapple. Open Pies, pies with tops on, delicate pies and no-holds-barred pies: There’s no shortage of options. Try Lemon Meringue with its mountain of golden fluffy meringue atop a rich, tangy lemon cream. You’ll find favorite Pecan Pie here too. When you need a sweet fix, Brownies & Bars hit the spot. Rocky Road and Muesli Bars are always popular and make welcome additions to a packed lunch. There can’t be much that beats a homemade Blueberry Muffin with your first cup of coffee in the morning. Finally, there’s something childishly satisfying about a big, chewy Cookie studded with chocolate chunks–there’s something here for every king of cookie fiend.